Samak Hamour

Name: Samak Hamour
Cuisine: Saudi Arabian
Ingredients: 125 ml (4½ fl oz/½ cup) cooking oil, plus 4 tbsp for frying the fish; 125 ml (4½ fl oz/½ cup) cooking oil, plus 4 tbsp for frying the fish; 2 medium onions, sliced; 2 cloves of garlic, minced; ½ tsp ground turmeric; ½ tsp chilli powder; ½ tsp ground coriander; 1 stick cinnamon; 4 green cardamom pods; 4 cloves; 2 black cardamom pods; ½ tsp Baharat spice mix; 1 tsp crushed dried fenugreek leaves; 125 g (4½ oz/½ cup) natural yogurt, at room temperature; 2 tbsp fresh tamarind pulp or 1 tsp tamarind paste; 2 tbsp fresh tamarind pulp or 1 tsp tamarind paste; 1 kg (2 lb 4 oz) white fish (such as king, swordfish, halibut etc), cut into roughly 10cm (4-inch) slices; 1 kg (2 lb 4 oz) white fish (such as king, swordfish, halibut etc), cut into roughly 10cm (4-inch) slices; 1 kg (2 lb 4 oz) white fish (such as king, swordfish, halibut etc), cut into roughly 10cm (4-inch) slices; 1 kg (2 lb 4 oz) white fish (such as king, swordfish, halibut etc), cut into roughly 10cm (4-inch) slices; Sea salt; Plain Naan; Pitta Bread; Carrot Rice; Plain Rice

Preparation info

Serves
4-6

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

The Red Sea Cookbook

By Madeeha Qureshi

Published 2026

About

This very simple fisherman’s curry from the southern parts of the Red Sea is literally made up of whatever the fishermen catch on the day. Often cooked in a specific stoneware pot, in a punchy and tart base of simple spices, onions and tamarind, it can be served with rice or bread. A simple everyday kind of curry.

Ingredients

125 ml (4½ fl oz/½ cup) cooking oil, plus 4 tbsp

Asia
Saudi Arabia
Fish course
Pescatarian

Method

In a heavy-based deep saucepan, heat the oil on a medium heat, then add the onions and fry until they are light brown in colour - around 5-7 minutes. Once the onions are nicely browned, take them out and blend them with a splash of water into a smooth paste. Return the onion paste to the pan.

Add the minced garlic and all the dried spices and season with salt, then sauté for about 5 min